Northwestern Iran Tour | Individual Iran Travel | Pyala Travel - Travel Program
Northwestern Iran Tour to Caspian Sea, Masuleh, Maku and Tabriz. Private Iran Tour completely tailormade.
Adventurous Northwestern Odyssey
private tour
Travel along the Caspian sea and in the Alborz mountains
On this adventurous Iran trip you will travel along the Caspian Sea, see tea plantations and marvel at the great Alborz Mountains. See the desolate plains of western Iran, meet Turkish speaking nomads and stumble upon desolate Armenian churches.
from 1320,-
10 days
Tabs
Day 1 Tehran – Lahijan
After breakfast you leave the busy city and drive through the green valleys of the Alborz Mountains on your way to the Caspian Sea. This mountain road, Chalus Road, is one of the most beautiful in the country in terms of the view. The coast along the Caspian Sea is one of the greenest strips of the country, and therefore beloved by the Iranian population that mostly live in dry, desert regions. Visit the picturesque Lahijan, famous for its tea plantations. Here you can walk through the tea plantations in the hill of “Sheitan Kuh” and enjoy the view.
Day 2 Lahijan - Masuleh
The route along the Caspian Sea takes you to the port city of Bandar-e-Anzali and on to Masuleh, a charming mountain village. This village is always misty and you can walk over the roofs of the houses. It is like an elevated street! This village is at least a thousand years old and is one of the most beautiful villages in Iran. In the afternoon you can choose to take a walk around Masuleh.
Day 3 Masuleh - Astara via Gisoum and Soubatan
A beautiful trip shows you the landscape along the Caspian Sea and the underlying Alborz mountains. You visit the Caspian Sea at Gisoum and the Talesh region in the mountains. Talesh nomads live in these green hills. They store their tunnel-like tents in the Talesh mountains in summer. A nice trip is to drive to the mountain villages of Soubatan.You end this day in Astara on the border with Azerbaijan.
Day 4 Astara - Meshkin Shahr
You drive south again to the holy city of Ardabil, beautifully situated at the foot of Mount Sabalan (4811 meters). In the past, the city was an important Sufi center. The main attraction is the mausoleum of Sheikh Safi od-Din Ishaq, the ancestor of the Safavids.Then you drive to Meshkin Shahr, around Mount Sabalan. You spend the night in an 'eco resort' near hot springs at the foot of Mt. Sabalan. Here you can go for walks in the mountains and get acquainted with the Shah Savan nomads who store their tents here in summer.
Day 5 Meshkin Shahr - Kaleybar
You can take a walk in the mountains in the morning, or maybe you would rather sit in one of the hot springs? Then it is an hour or two to Kaleybar. Here is the imposing Babak castle, which rises high above the landscape. It is a steep climb to the castle, which is a symbol for the proud Azeris in Iran. At the foot of the climb, Shah Savan nomads have stored their tents.You can climb all the way up, but also be brought up a bit by jeep and from there it is a steep climb of one hour to the top of the castle. It is a nice walk all the way down.
Day 6 Kaleybar - Jolfa
You travel north towards the Aras valley. The Aras river has a legendary status. This would be one of the four rivers that flowed out of the Garden of Eden, and is mentioned in the Bible as the river Gihon. Now it is the border river of Iran with Azerbaijan and Armenia. You follow the river, which flows through the rugged mountain landscape like a green oasis. On the way you will visit small mountain villages such as Ushtebin, where the life of modern times has hardly left any trace.After a few hours of driving you arrive in Jolfa. At Jolfa you will find the first traces of the Armenian past in Iran. Here is the St. Stepanos church, built between the 7th and 10th century. The church is located in a deep canyon near the Aras river. In the vicinity you will find some Armenian churches and in Jolfa itself you can visit an old caravanserai. You will also see a bridge here, which forms the border with Nakhichevan.
Day 7 Jolfa - Kanduvan via Maku
You travel further towards the border with Turkey to the town of Maku. With a bit of luck you can see the contours of the holy mountain M. Ararat from here. In Maku you can visit Kakh Muzeh Maku, a country house belonging to a member of the Qajar family, the rulers of Iran in the late nineteenth century, Mozaffar al-Din Shah Qajar. He co-wrote the Iranian constitution from the beginning of the last century, and is also seen as one of the founders of Iranian cinema.The highlight of Maku is, however, a visit to one of the most isolated and impressive places in Iran; the Armenian church Khara Khelisa. This 'Black Church', as it is called, is dedicated to the holy Thaddeus, one of the twelve apostles, and one of the patriarchs of Armenian Christianity. He lived in the first century after Christ, and in that time, according to tradition, this church was also founded. In Islamic Iran the church is only at a low level: only once a year, around 1 July, there is a service. The current church dates from the tenth century and later and is built from sandstone. Then you continue to the largest city in the west of Iran and capital of the province of West Azerbaijan: Tabriz. You do not stay here, however, but continue to travel to the rugged landscape at Kanduvan.
Day 8 Kanduvan - Tabriz
In the morning you wake up in a cave hotel in the characteristic village of Kanduvan. This is one of the most extraordinary 'troglodyte' (cave city) of Iran. Completely carved into limestone rocks reminiscent of the landscape of Cappadocia in Turkey.You can visit the village and then drive to Tabriz in an hour in the afternoon.
Day 9 Tabriz
Today you have the whole day to explore Tabriz. Here you can stroll through the hustle and bustle of the city and visit the trendy shopping streets or search for the cultural sites. The main attraction is the immense bazaar, the largest in Iran. But there is also an Armenian church, and the beautiful Masjed-e Kabud, the Blue Mosque. The Bagh-e Melli, a landscaped garden with a large pond where you, along with Iranian families, can take a breather, is located in the eastern part of the city.
Day 10 Departure Tabriz
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